Tuesday, October 02, 2012

This was our next to last trip

Good morning.
I've just returned from cleaning the Salon.
Now, about our trip......
This trip took us to Proud Lake Recreation Area. The reason for this campground, was that this one was the closest to the city of Detroit. More about that later. :-)
We arrived Friday afternoon, set up camp, and headed into the near-by city of Milford, for an early dinner.
Milford is a beautiful small town. I didn't take my camera, and was disappointed I didn't. The town stretches for 6 blocks or so, and sat along a beautiful babbling brook. I found a place on the Internet before we left called Main Street Bar and Grill. From our parking spot, we walked the 3 blocks or so to the bar. The town was very full of people and a lot of kids. There were many kids and adults wearing Milford Mavs tops. That's they're sports team, the mavericks. Craig commented that it was probably right when school had let out. But soon after, we saw people sitting in chairs along the road, and a light bulb went off in my head. All these people here, wearing school colors, they were getting ready for a homecoming parade!
We got to the bar, secured a table near the front window, ordered some tasty burgers and drinks, and soon we were watching a parade! It was hokey, and it was fun. Watching all the yuppie parents taking pics of their kids in the parade. I don't remember having a parade through town when I was in school.
Anyway, after it was done, we wandered through a few stores, and then back to the campground.
Our site #2, was right across from the campground host. And apparently, they had big plans for the weekend. The campground was packed!
Friday evening, they had bingo. And they packed the place!

We laid low, relaxing in our mo-ho and watching TV.
The next morning, we headed into downtown Detroit. The reason we camped here was so we could go to the Henry Ford Museum and see the Titanic Exhibit. We had tickets for the 9:30 am entry. We arrived just after 9, and got in and found our way to the line for the exhibit. We ended up waiting just about 15 min. to get in. Sorry, there were no pics allowed in the exhibit. :-(
We decided on the audio tour for $5 extra. It was well worth the price!
The exhibit wasn't as good as I had expected, but the audio part made it fell I got my money's worth.
We then toured the Henry Ford Museum. This was quite and extensive museum. focusing on all kinds of transportation, machines, and furniture. I of course, didn't think of taking pics until Craig suggested a pic of the original wiener-mobile.....

After the museum, we headed across the highway to a huge mall, Fairlane Center, and Lunch at TGI Friday's. I joined their website for a free appetizer, and I got a $5 off from Craig's Coke Rewards.
Between the 2, I paid only $24 for food and 2 drinks!
Then it was off to the Eastern Market. This is a famous Detroit institution.
This place covers 5 blocks and consists of several 'sheds'.

These were 2 of them. The place was very busy. There were tons of produce, meats, cheeses, breads and plants. We found some nice cheap veggies for future meals.
And just out side the market, a reminder of how bad Detroit is doing during this recession.Blocks and blocks of empty lots, and empty buildings.

But back at the campground, they were having a trick or treating thingy.
What the Fu*(K! Halloween in September?
Fortunately, we saw that on the campground news, and stopped at a local store for treats.
Here's a few pics.....

The kids loved the self serve idea.

It was fun watching the kids in their costumes.
The rest of the evening, we fixed pork steaks on the grill with marinated zucchini, and Craig made a pasta salad full of fresh diced veggies from the market. And we watched as our Spartans got beat again! :-(
Sunday morning, we hit a Mickey D's for breakfast, then to Downtown Detroit and the MGM Casino. This is Detroit's largest of the 3. We hadn't been to a casino in months, and needed a fix. :-)
I actually did pretty good, but of course Craig didn't. I kept having to give him some of my winnings for him to keep going, but all in all, we left after a few hours with about half of what we brought. Not bad for the entertainment value. :-)
Made our way back to the campground, stopping for the Sunday paper along the way. The campground was already nearly empty. Maybe a dozen campers left. Much more pleasant than with hundreds of kids all over the place. :-)
We read the paper, went for a walk, and fixed chicken thighs on the grill with roasted veggies. Finished the evening with a movie marathon.
Sunday morning, packed up and headed home.
We got there safe, arrived home safe, and everything ran smoothly.
Yes, it was another good trip! :-)
My back is doing okay. I'm still waking up with a tight stiff back, but at least no aching. I also went to the massage place after we returned home. I'll do that every other day for the rest of the week to see if that gets me all the way better. I even worked in the yard yesterday and still awoke this morning about the same.
So 9 weekend trips down, and 1 to go. And with that, I'm our to clean the mo-ho for the last one.